'Requested deviation due to weather': Ranchi-Delhi air ambulance lost contact with ATC 20 minutes after takeoff; 2nd crash within a month

RANCHI/NEW DELHI: A medical evacuation flight from Ranchi to Delhi crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday evening, killing all seven people on board.

The aircraft had requested deviation due to bad weather shortly after takeoff, before going off radar less than half an hour into the flight.



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What we know so far:

• The aircraft was operating a medical evacuation flight from Ranchi to Delhi and took off at 7:11pm.
• Contact with the aircraft was lost at 7.34PM, roughly 23 minutes after takeoff, about 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi, according to DGCA sources.
• On board were two pilots, a patient identified as Sanjay Kumar, Dr Vikash Kumar Gupta, paramedic S K Mishra, and two attendants.
• Ranchi Airport sources confirmed the aircraft had established initial contact with Kolkata ATC and requested deviation due to bad weather before losing radar contact.
• Villagers in Kasariya Panchayat, Simariya block, reportedly heard a loud bang and saw a large object spiralling down before finding the debris.
• Deputy commissioner Keerthishree G said a thunderstorm may have caused the crash, but the exact cause will be determined after investigation.
• SDPO Simaria, Shubham Khandelwal, confirmed all seven victims had died and their bodies were recovered.
• A team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and Delhi authorities have been dispatched to the crash site to investigate and recover the black box.
• This marks the second small aircraft tragedy in India within a month, following the January 28 crash in Baramati, Maharashtra, that killed deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others.

Also read: Ranchi air ambulance crash: Piecing together the final 23 minutes between takeoff and radar silence

'Likely caused by thunderstorm'

Meanwhile, deputy commissioner Keerthishree G said the crash was likely caused by a thunderstorm.

"It crashed due to a thunderstorm... Unfortunately, the team of doctors found them dead. The total number of people is seven. Two were crew members, and the remaining five were a patient and the patient's family members," she said.



The deputy commissioner added that, prima facie, the accident appears to have been caused by bad weather but the exact cause will be determined after a detailed investigation by the aviation authorities.

'A loud explosion'

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Villagers reported hearing a loud explosion in the night sky, followed by a large object spinning as it fell.

They discovered the wreckage shortly afterward and informed local authorities, who immediately activated standard emergency procedures to locate the aircraft.